Spiced Pumpkin Cookies

132 calories per cookie. 3 grams of fat. Seasonally appropriate. More like little moist cakes than cookies. Really good icing. Spiced pumpkin cookies are what you need to be making, people!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I'm trying out recipes from Pretty Delicious by pretty forgettable Top Chef contestant (9th place in season 1) Candice Kumai. It's a diet cookbook that's all, "This isn't a diet cookbook! I swear to god it's a sexy cookbook!" but it is kind of lying. It's a collection of reduced fat/calorie recipes that cleverly substitute something that's good for you, such as silken tofu, for something you want, such as cream. I haven't come close to making everything in the book, but right now it's batting about .250, and I've only found two recipes I'd want to make again. However, when this cookbook succeeds, it succeeds in a fabulous, mighty way. I am crazy about those two recipes. I think I've made the spinach and artichoke dip four times already. These cookies are going to become a staple as well.

Sisterly note: the other day Poof made pumpkin cupcakes using two ingredients (cake mix and pumpkin puree) and reports that they are terrific. Read about them here!

INGREDIENTS

for the cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar <-- I used a mix of light and dark brown sugar; was running low
• 1/4 cup (half stick) butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree <-- not pumpkin pie mix or whatever they call it
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

for the glaze

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk <-- regular milk would work in a pinch

(makes 24 medium-large cookies)

DIRECTIONS

To make the cookies: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the four, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and butter together on medium speed until light and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the four mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Chill the cookie dough for 15 minutes.

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. I used Silpat. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the cookie batter and roll it between your palms into 1.5-inch balls. I formed 24 mounds of equal size (as close as I could manage) on my baking sheets. The dough is sticky, so I dampened my hands with water and rolled the mounds into balls. This probably is easier to do on Silpat rather than parchment paper.

Flatten the balls slightly and bake until the edges are firm and the center is still soft, about 15 minutes. When baking two pans of cookies at the same time, you might want to rotate the pans halfway through. Baking time is right-on here: my cookies took 14 minutes to bake.

Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing: sift the powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, and almond milk. Whisk together until completely smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies. Let the icing harden for at least 10 minutes before serving. Not necessary to wait, if you ask me.

You definitely want the cookies to be cool before you drizzle them. The glaze is delicious and the recipe makes a lot. Put a paper towl down beforehand to catch the cinnamon-y stalactites. Mmm, stalactites...

Comments

[Teresa]

Found this recipe from your post this morning (12/3) -- these look delicious and I'm looking forward to making a batch soon. Just a suggestion -- if you use wax paper instead of paper towels under the cookie rack, the drizzled icing is easier to wipe up and lick from a finger. Just sayin'

[Kelly]

Excellent tip, Teresa! I hope you like these cookies!